Mint Brownies

Chocolate Mint Brownies
Koke McMurdie
Brownies
1cup butter 4 eggs
¾ cup cocoa 1 ¾ cup sugar
1 ¼ cups flour ¼ t salt
nuts (if desired)

Mint Frosting
½ cup butter 1 ¼ t mint extract
¼ cup cream 2-3 drops green food coloring
3 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate frosting
½ cup butter 1 t vanilla
½ cup cocoa 2 ¾ cup powdered sugar
1 egg 3-4 T hot water
Preheat oven to 350° and grease 9x13 pan.

Preheat oven to 350° and grease 9x13 pan.
Brownies: In saucepan, melt butter and add cocoa. Transfer to mixing bowl and beat in eggs, sugar and salt. Add flour and nuts. Spread in pan. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool.
Mint Frosting: Beat all ingredients until smooth and fluffy. Spread on cooled brownies. Let set about 15 minutes before adding chocolate frosting.
Chocolate Frosting: In saucepan, melt butter and add cocoa. Transfer to mixing bowl and add powdered sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add hot water, 1 Tablespoon at a time until creamy. Spread over mint frosting. Cut and enjoy!

Pesto Pasta

16 oz. Pasta
2 bunches Basil, chopped (one bunch is about .75 oz.)
1/3 C Olive Oil
1 head (16 cloves) garlic
1/2 C Pine nuts
Sat and Pepper
Cook Pasta
Place basil, olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts and process until smooth.  Add salt to taste.
Combine pesot sause with hot cooked pasta

Tomato Garam Masala with Garbanzo Beans

4 C Cooked Rice
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 Onion Diced
3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp. Garam Masala
1 tsp. Curry Powder
1 tsp. Sugar
1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 15-oz. Can Garbanzo Beans Drained and rinsed
Salt

Saute Pepper and onion in oil.
On reduced heat, add garam masala, curry powder, and sugar.  Saute for 2 minutes
Add tomatoes and garbanzo beans.  Turn up heat and cook sauce until hot.
Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Add salt to taste.
Serve over rice.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

1 c Uncooked Brown Rice
2 C Vegetable Broth
4 Green Bell Peppers
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 Onion, diced
1 4 oz Can Diced Green Chilies
1/2 C Salsa
1/2 C Frozen Corn
1/2 vegan Cheddar Ch.
1 tsp. Salt
1 can drained black beans

Preaheat oven to 425
Cook rice in Vegetable Broth.
Cut peppers in half and remove stems and seeds.
Place in baking dish and cook uncovereed for 25 minutes.
Saute onion in oil.
Add green chilies, salsa, corn, cheese, salt, black beans, and rice
Stuff mixture in peppers and bake for 10 minutes more

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

8 oz. sliced almonds
1/4 C nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 C Basil
2 Tbs. Onion Powder
1 Tbs Garlic
1 Tbs Oregano
1 Tbs Dried Lemon Peel
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
Place ingreedients in food processor and process well
Store in sealed container in fridge.
Put on pasta, salad, soup.

Roasted Sweet Corn and Tomato Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites, inspired by the Sussman Brothers
3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 cobs)
10 ounces cherry tomatoes (abt 2 cups)
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, any color, diced
8 ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
32 ounces chicken broth (4 cups)
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper
optional: chopped herbs for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place corn, tomatoes, and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Gently toss with hands and then arrange in an even, flat layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes are crinkled and burst.
While vegetables are roasting, heat a stock pot to medium high heat on stove top. Add remaining one teaspoon olive oil and diced onion. Saute about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add roasted bell peppers, chicken broth, smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder. Add a light sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper (I add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few cracks of pepper at this point and then season to taste at the very end.)
When corn and tomatoes are done roasting, add them to the pot*, making sure to scrape off all of the bits on the pan. (*If desired, reserve a couple spoonfuls of roasted corn for garnish.) Bring soup to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender, or transfer soup to stand blender and puree until smooth. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper (and chipotle chili powder if you want a little more heat) to taste. Divide into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika, a few corn kernels, and some chopped herbs if desired.
Yields about 6 cups of soup.
Nutritional info for 4, 1 1/2 cup servings:
Calories: 168
Carbs: 24 g
Protein: 8 g
Fat: 7 g

Substitute vegetable broth for chicken. 

Lemon cookies

Ingredients:½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes. Makes 2-3 dozen (closer to 2) recipe from Lauren Brennan via Lisa Evans